Apparatus for producing artificial silk



April 2, 1929. E. BERL 1,707,595

APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING ARTIFICIL SILK Filed April 22, 1925 gnu Hoz E. .Ba

kb. ,35% MvCM/ Patented Apr. 2, 1929.

UNITED STATES ERNST BERL, OF DARMSTADT, GERMANY.

APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING ARTIFICIAL SILK.

Application led April 22, 1925. Serial No. 25,114.

This invention relates to improvements in means for producing artificial silk and the like and more particularly to novel apparatus for forming and twisting artificial silk filaments.

The primary object of the invention is to provide an apparatus of simpler construction than those heretofore used and capable of producing artificial silk of superior character.

With the foregoing object outlined and with other objects in View which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention consists in the novel features hereinafter described in detail, illustrated in the accompanying drawing and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

Referring to the drawing:

Figure 1 is a'vertical sectional view of the improved apparatus.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged view partly in section of a detail thereof.

Fig. 3 is a side view partly in section of means for imparting a vpartial twist to the thread as it is unwound from a centrifugal bowl and wound upon a reel.

Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view of a modification.

In the drawing, 1 designates a pump, which may be of any suitable character, such as that commonly used in the viscose process for producing thread, and which is available on the market. I prefer to use the pump of the three-piston type, made of bronze. The co1- lodion used in manufacturing the artificial silk,xis forced by this pump through an outlet pipe 2 into a spinning cap 3, shown enlarged Ain Fig. 2. This spinning cap is perforated'with holes similar to that used in the viscose process,rfand as the holes in the cap are comparativel large and the wall thickness relatively t in, the resistance greatly diminishes and the pump exerts a pressure somewhere in the range between 50 and 80 lbs. per square inch. Y

To the rim of the cap 3, I4 fasten a vertical tube 4 in which all of the single filaments 5 produced by thev spinning cap, move verti cally downward. As the filaments descend,

they contact with an alcohol solution of percent strength which enters the tube through the inlet 6 arranged in close proximity to the spinning cap 3. This alcohol solution will absorb the ether content of the filafilaments in a uty plastic condition, thereby ments and at' the same time maintain said permitting the stretching of the same to the desired size and form in cross section.

The lower end of the tube 4 is preferably curved as shown at 7 and has a reduced or 60 contracted outlet 8 through which'the lilalnents pass and are guided together, to form a single composite filament 9. The alcohol solution with the absorbed ether therein, discharges with the lfilament 9 into a closed tank 65 10 having a liquid. outlet 11, for a purpose hereinafter described. From the mouth 8 the composite filament passes over a drawing or stretching roller 12 which is revolved continuously and functions to pull the filaments material so as to stretch the same in its passage through the tube 4. The `degree of t'ension will, of course determine 'the cross section of the composite filamenti).

After the composite filament passes over the roller 12, it passes through a tube 13 and in this tube it is contacted with a salt solution introduced into the apparatus throu h an inlet 14. This salt solution travels own-the tube 13 and enters a centrifugalbowl 15, with 80 the thread, thereby washing out and absorbingall the alcohol content remaining in the thread. The centrifugal bowl is perforated as shown at 16, so the salt solution with its absorbed alcohol content is thrown by centr-ifugal force into the basin 17, which has a drain pipe 18. A

As the composite filament passes into the bowl 15, it is given a partial twist due to the rotation of the bowl and to the movement of a sleeve 19 which reciprocates vertically on the lower end of the tube 13. y

It isobvious that as the sleeve 19 raises and lowers, the lower portion of the thread will also raise and lower so as to properly `wind the thread within thebowl.

The sleeve 19m-ay be reciprocated by any suitable means, such as a rocking lever 20 con- Vncctcd at one end to the sleeve and contacting at its opposite end with a continuously driven cam 21.

22 designates the drive shaft of the machine on which the cam 21-v is mounted and this shaft carries a pulley 23 connected to a belt 24 which drives the roller 12. By means 105 of'gears 25 and 26, the shaft 22 drives a vertical shaft 27, which by means 'of the pulleys 28 and 29, and the belt 30, drives the shaft 31 of the centrifugal bowl.

The speed of the centrifugal bowl varies from 5000 to 6000 revolutions per minute, and while spinning into the bowl I give the thread at first, only a part of the twist required, say

one-half for instance, thus doubling the capacity of the spinning cap. After having charged the desired length of thread into the bowl, the filaments leaving the vertical tube may be switched over to a second empty centrifugal bowl, where the process of twisting and coagulating just described, continues.

The thread of the first centrifugal bowl will then be tied to the reel 32, shown in Fig. 3, and the silk is reeled off to a skein directly from the centrifugal bowl. During the operation of the reeling, the centrifugal bowl is rotated, thus imparting to the thread the remainder of the twist, such for instance as the second half. As shown in Fig. 3, the reel 32 may be mounted on a driven shaft 33, which through reduction gearing 34 drives al short shaft 35 having a pulley 36. This pulley drives a belt 37 and the belt actuates another pulley 38 fixed on the shaft 39. The upper Aends of theshafts 31 and 39 are preferably of angular shape as shown at 40 and each bowl 15 has a corresponding socket 41 at its bottom, adapted to detachably engage and form a driving fit with the upper end of shaft 31 or 39. Due to )this construction a bowl may be readily lifted out'of the basin 17 and be transferred to the reeling mechanism shown in Fig. 3. The partially twisted thread is designated 42, and it is fed from the rotating bowl 15 shown in- Fig. 3, over a guide pulley 43 and onto the driven reel 32.

lFrom the foregoing it will be observed that two centrifugal bowls are used in connection with each spinning cap, so that the cap may be feeding'to one bowl while the thread is being unwound from the other bowl and vice versa.

v In Fig. 4 I have illustrated ai modification in which the,I threads are formed and stretched without twisting the same, and after being formed they may be twisted in any suitable manner. In this view, 3a designates the spinning cap, 4a the tube through which'the filaments pass after leaving the spinning cap, 6a the inlet for the alcohol solution and l0a the tank which receives the alcohol solution with its absorbed ether. ranged in the tank 10a is a pulley 44 about which the filaments pass before they are drawn upwardly through a tube 45, by means of drawing and stretching rollers 46, and a winding 1rolle'r47L1-f T hetuber-45'galso has an f an alcohol solution ntrodu'ce fer-'ring again ft@ thrown by centrifugal force into the basin 17 may be collected and conveyed to a container where it is treated with cheap phenol, derived the .tub

from coal-tar products. The phenol has the property of t-aking up all of the ether and alcohol and separating the same from the salt solution. The salt solution may be repumped back to the inlet 14, while the phenol with the absorbed ether and alcohol may be introduced into a distilling column, where the alcohol and ether is driven out of the phenol and the latter becomes concentrated at the same time. The concentrated phenol can of course be returned to the separating tank to repeat the process of separation, and the alcohol may be returned to inlet 6. -My process of solvent recovery is very simple as the entire Ventilating system as well as the complicated'solvent'absorbing mediums is eliminated and a great amount-of steam saved. Attention is called to the fact thatthe physical and chemical formation of the filaments 1s by no means the same in the coagulating bath as those spun dry, in anair chamber.

By stretching the filaments in a coagulating bath, lthe formation or cross section of the filaments may be completely Acontrolled at will and a covering capacity can be obtained equal to that obtained by any otherartificial silk. The same is also ltrue relative to the size of the single filaments, that is, by means of stretching, a single filament can be spun into the fiiest size attained in any' other artificial silk. i

Attention is also called to the advantageof the short time elapsing between spinning and drying. The silk will run to the twisting and reeling in a. comparatively short time and reach de-nitration in a fresh state, which is very desirable:

The silk formed by the present apparatus is especially adapted for weaving purposes.

From the-foregoing it is believed that the construction, operation and advantages of the apparatus may be readily understood, and it is apparent that changes may be made in the details disclosed without departing from the spirit of the invention as expressed in the claims.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In an apparatus for making artificial silk, a tube, a perforated cap at one end of said tube, means for -forcing silk forming material through said perforated cap into the tub-e1 means-.feltfintreducna sslye'nt into belief o filaments, a chamber through which the t reads pass after g terial into a plurality their discharge from thespinning cap means for introducing a solvent into said chamber and for discharging the solvent therefrom, means for drawing the threads through said chamber and for stretching the same in their passage through the chamber, a secondchamber cooperating with the first chamber and arranged to receive' the threads after they leave the first chamber, and means for introducing a liquid into the second chamber.

3. An apparatus for producing artificial silk threads including aperforated spinning cap, neans for forcing plastic silk forming' .material through the cap to divide said material into a plurality of filaments, a chamt ber. through the threads pass after their discharge from the spinning cap, means for introducing a solvent into said chamber and for discharging the solvent therefrom, means for drawing the threads through said chamber and for stretching the same in their passage through the chamber, a second chamber through which the threads pass after leaving the first chamber, a perforated centrifugal bowl receiving the thread from the second chamber, and means for introducin a solvent into the second chamber, said second chamber 'discharging the solvent into said bowl.

In testimony whereof I aliix my signature.

DR. ERNST BERL. 

